Tasmania's clear skies and lack of humidity contribute to that harsh, stinging feeling on the skin. It is not UV radiation you can feel. "The heat of the sun, you can feel that, but you cannot feel the UV, unless you're sunburnt," Mr Carr said.
The sun's rays are strongest at the equator where the sun is most directly overhead and where UV rays must travel the shortest distance through the atmosphere.
The elliptical orbit of the Earth places the Southern Hemisphere closer to the sun during its summer months than the Northern Hemisphere during its summer. This means that the summer sun in Australia is 7 to 10 percent stronger than similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.
Australia has some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world – in fact, UV radiation is strong enough to cause sunburn in as little as 11 minutes on a fine summer day. UV radiation from the sun is also one of the best natural sources for vitamin D so a balance is important.
New Zealand's rather cool and temperate temperatures can easily hide the harmful effects of the sun. Yet in any season and any weather, the New Zealand sun can burn. Many people say they get more sunburned in New Zealand than anywhere else in the world, even Australia!
UV problem of another kind
"Tasmania is unique with the fact that in summer it gets to extreme level, and in winter it doesn't even get to moderate," Mr Carr said.
Dr Ahmad Hasanien, a skin cancer expert explained that 'During summer, the Earth's orbit brings Australia closer to the sun, resulting in an additional 7% solar UV intensity. Coupled with our clearer atmospheric conditions, this means that Australians are exposed to up to 15% more UV than Europeans'.
The planet is about 1.7% closer to the sun in January, during the southern summer, and 1.7% further away in July – northern summer. So that means when the sun is strongest the southern hemisphere is 3.4% closer to the sun than the north is during their summer. This increases UV by about 7%.
The southern hemisphere tends to have more UV exposure because of the ozone hole, a seasonal depletion of the ozone layer centered on the South Pole. There are also fewer particles of air pollution — which help block UV — due to the comparatively small numbers of people who live in the southern hemisphere.
Key Points. Smoke from monster wildfires in Australia caused a chemical reaction that widened the ozone hole 10 per cent. More than a million tonnes of smoke were pumped into the atmosphere by the fires. United Nations modelling predicts that the ozone layer over the southern hemisphere should fully heal by 2060.
Australia is near the equator so we experience high UV levels. time of year: our elliptical orbit around the sun and our axial tilt combine to ensure that we are closer to the sun in our summer than the northern hemisphere e.g. in summer the UK has UV Index 6–8, while Australia has UV Index 10–14.
AND YES, THE WATER DOES INTENSIFY THE SUN'S RAYS.
And the reason you've been waiting to hear, confirmed — yes, the sun does reflect off of the ocean (or lake or swimming pool) and its rays are intensified as they reach your skin, making your more susceptible to a sunburn.
Sun radiation is much stronger than in the northern Hemisphere. However, with natural sun protection you can protect yourself safely from sunburn. Compared to Europe or the US, there is a much clearer sky in Melbourne, and sun radiation that is much more intense.
Norway. Norway, situated in the Arctic Circle, is called the Land of the Midnight Sun, where from May to late July, the sun actually never sets. This means that for around a period of 76 days, the sun never goes down.
During the summer solstice, the Sun shines most directly on the Tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north of the equator, giving its most direct energy on Earth to the Northern Hemisphere.
The blueness of the sky is also affected by other factors, such as the moisture and particulate matter in the air. So tropical countries, such as Singapore or India, which are closer to the equator and are more humid or have pollution or dust in the air, have less blue skies than Australia, most of the time.
Read any Byron Bay bucket list and you'll no doubt find a sunrise walk to the Cape Byron Lighthouse, and for good reason. Located on the most easterly point of mainland Australia, this early morning attraction isn't just the finish line to an epic coastal walk, it's the first place the sun rises in the whole country.
Though many believe it's because we're beneath a hole in the ozone layer, this is a myth. The more likely explanation is because of Tasmania's clean, clear air. The sun's rays don't have to fight through pollutants and can reach us more easily.
1. Yuma (USA) According to the World Meteorological Organization, Yuma (Arizona) is the sunniest place on earth. It has a total of 11 hours of sunlight in winter and up to 13 in summer.
In general, the sun's rays are the most intense at the equator and the least intense at the poles. On an average yearly basis, areas north of the Arctic Circle receive only about 40 percent as much solar radiation as equatorial regions.
Australia gets more ultraviolet light from sunlight than many other places do. Melanin in cells absorbs ultraviolet light and prevents it from being absorbed by other parts of the cell which can be damaged.
Australia experiences high levels of UVR, resulting from the reduction in their ozone layer since the 1970s.
Is there a hole in the ozone layer over Tasmania? No. And it doesn't really impact on how hot we feel. According to the BOM website, the hole in the ozone layer "has only ever been observed to be well south of the Australian mainland and Tasmania".